PANAJI
The third death anniversary of Archbishop emeritus Raul Nicolau Gonsalves was commemorated with a Eucharistic celebration at the Cathedral Church, Old Goa on July 5 at 4 pm.
Archbishop of Goa Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao presided over the celebration, which was concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Simiao Fernandes, Bishop Emeritus Alex Dias, priests, religious and attended by lay faithful of the Archdiocese.
In his homily, Bishop Simiao focussed on the moto of Archbishop Raul ‘called to serve and not to be served’.
“We need to have a heart of service like Christ, we need to embrace the wounded and reach out to them, we need to value each other and respect everyone and we need to have an attitude of humility,” said Bishop Simiao.
He recalled how Bishop Raul in his life tried to be of service to the Church and the faithful. He also recalled that he, being a member of the committee for migrants in Rome, contributed towards this cause in his own way. “As followers of Christ, we need to have this attitude of service and humility,” said Bishop Simiao.
Before imparting the blessing, Cardinal Ferrao thanked everyone for gathering together to pray for Bishop Raul who had dedicated his life for the faithful in the archdiocese.
Later, the prayers on the grave were led by Bishop Simiao and Bishop Alex.
Born in Bambolim on June 15, 1927 Archbishop Raul Gonsalves was ordained a priest in Rome on December 21, 1950.
He was appointed Auxiliary bishop on January 5, 1967 and was ordained Bishop on March 5, 1967. He was then appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman on June 28, 1972, taking charge of his office on June 30, 1972. He was appointed the first Goan Archbishop of Goa and Daman and Patriarch of the East Indies on January 30, 1978 and took charge as Archbishop-Patriarch on March, 5, 1978. He served as archbishop of Goa and Daman until March 2004, when his resignation was accepted by the Holy See.
He passed away on July 1, 2022, having served as bishop for 55 years and having led the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman for 37 years, deftly steering the archdiocese amid various political, administrative, religious and cultural changes in the State.
